Protective effect of the aqueous extract from the root of Platycodon grandiflorum on cholestasis-induced hepatic injury in mice

• Published in: Pharmaceutical biology Vol. 50; no. 12; pp. 1473 - 1478
• Main Authors: Kim, Tae-Won, Lee, Hong-Ki, Song, In-Bae, Kim, Myoung-Seok, Hwang, Youn-Hwan, Lim, Jong-Hwan, Park, Sang-Jin, Lee, Sang-Wook, Kim, Jong-Woo, Yun, Hyo-In
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Informa Healthcare 01.12.2012; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: Alanine Transaminase - blood; Animals; Aspartate Aminotransferases - blood; Bile duct ligation; Biomarkers - blood; cholestasis; Cholestasis, Extrahepatic - blood; Cholestasis, Extrahepatic - drug therapy; Cholestasis, Extrahepatic - etiology; Cholestasis, Extrahepatic - pathology; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Common Bile Duct - surgery; Cytoprotection; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Glutathione - metabolism; hepatotoxicity; Ligation; Liver - drug effects; Liver - enzymology; Liver - pathology; Liver Diseases - blood; Liver Diseases - etiology; Liver Diseases - pathology; Liver Diseases - prevention & control; Male; Malondialdehyde - metabolism; Mice; Mice, Inbred ICR; Nitric Oxide - metabolism; Plant Extracts - analysis; Plant Extracts - isolation & purification; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Roots; Plants, Medicinal; platycodin D; Platycodon - chemistry; Platycodon grandilflorum; Protective Agents - analysis; Protective Agents - isolation & purification; Protective Agents - pharmacology; standardized aqueous extract; Superoxide Dismutase - metabolism; Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances - metabolism; Time Factors
• ISSN: 1388-0209; 1744-5116
• DOI: 10.3109/13880209.2012.680973

Context: The root of Platycodon grandiflorum (Jacq.) A. DC. (Campanulaceae) has been widely studied for its hepatoprotective effects against various hepatotoxicants. Objective: The present study evaluated the protective effect of the standardized aqueous extract of P. grandiflorum (BC703) on cholestasis-induced hepatic injury in mice. Materials and methods: BC703 is a standardized aqueous extract of P. grandiflorum in reference to platycodin D (at least 0.8%). The mice were allocated into five groups as follows: Sham-operated, bile duct ligation (BDL) alone, and BDL with BC703 (1, 5, and 10 mg/kg BW) treated group. BC703 was given for 3 consecutive days before BDL operation. The animals were sacrificed by CO2 anesthesia post-24 h of BDL operations. Results and discussion: Serum alanine aminotransferase and serum aspartate aminotransferase increased to 395.2 ± 90.0 and 266.0 ± 45.6 Unit/L in the BDL alone group and decreased with BC703 in a dose-dependent manner. Especially the 10 mg/kg of BC703-treated mice showed a 77% decrease of serum alanine aminotransferase and 56% of aspartate aminotransferase as compared with BDL alone. Decreased antioxidant enzyme levels in BDL alone group were elevated in BC703-treated groups ranging from 7 to 29% for glutathione and from 13 to 25% for superoxide dismutase. BC703 treatment also attenuated malondialdehyde (from 3 to 32%) and nitric oxide levels (from 32 to 50%) as compared with BDL alone. Histopathological studies further confirmed the hepatoprotective effect of BC703 in BDL-induced cholestesis. Conclusion: BC703 could attenuate liver injury by BDL in mice, and test results indicate that BC703 might be useful in cholestatic liver injury.